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Leicester class 27's


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its something I really dont know anything about, which is why I ask.

 

and with being a loco Ive always liked (moreso than other type 2's I like the curvier shape and livery) then any excuse will do, could be my first Heljan loco :)

 

the shot Ive seen is of now preserved D5394 at Bidston in 1965 working back to Leicester.

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You're clearly a man of great taste Mike.

 

I recall some past discussion on the (originally) English 27s on one of the many old RMWebs, and prompted by an off-line conversation I went digging the other night, but only had limited success finding anything substantial.

 

The Derbysulzers site might give some info, though it does concentrate on the BR/Sulzer 2s.

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Blimey Michael,

I was thinking the same thing today and was just about to start the same topic more or less. How weird is that? laugh.gif

 

I've been thinking about getting the current Helijan green Class 27 with token catcher recess and back dating it to a London Midland example before they went north of the Border. I understand there were a few modifications regarding cab side windows and obviously token catcher recesses?

 

 

I've got a shot of one at Wellingborough on a Scott Barder train in the 1960's-need to fish it out though it's in a book so I'll not be able to post it. I've also seen another shot of a Class 27 on the Higham Ferrers branch on a short freight.

 

Hopefully, someone has a few photographs around showing them south of Leicester?

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

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i think i have a shot (I could be wrong!!!) of a class 27 on a train from peterborough with a dead broken down engine in tow, not north i know, but still.... anyway...

 

only problem is it is in a magazine so i will need to find it and check, not sure if the pic was a 25 or 27.... although I believe its in a 1989 magazine of contemporay news and such so it might be a twenty five....

 

theres a small pile in my box i;ll have a quick check..

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I've been thinking about getting the current Helijan green Class 27 with token catcher recess and back dating it to a London Midland example before they went north of the Border

 

you mean Heljan dont already do it without the tablet catcher and front doors? :(

 

bah, not interested now :)

 

the pic I have of D5394 it has something on the front door under the white stripe, same as this below, something Ive only just noticed on a few pics Ive found, is it to hold the doors closed?

 

Leicester London road 1964

http://www.flickr.co...s-45827152@N07/

 

 

 

Mike

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Hi Michael,

 

I think I'm right in saying that Heljan did the Class 27 in green without token catcher recesses in an earlier release. The current model has the token catcher recess. So a second hand version may be needed.

 

The photo links are excellent although it's interesting looking at the photos of 5378/5399 in their green livery with white window surrounds-they look almost black on the front windows.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

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I think I'm right in saying that Heljan did the Class 27 in green without token catcher recesses in an earlier release. The current model has the token catcher recess.

 

The first release was an 'English' loco (i.e. built for the LMR) with flush cabsides and droplights, plus plated nose doors which date it at post-c1966 depending on precise prototype. The second was a 'Scottish' loco with tablet catcher recess, sliding lights and the original nose doors. The first release has the engine room windows in the cl. 26 position, which is either slightly too low or too high (can't remember which, but it's hardly noticeable); on the second release, it's corrected.

 

The 'English' locos got to some widespread places whilst allocated to Cricklewood/Leicester/D14/D15/D16, including Gloucester, East Anglia and Scarborough. Obviously they were common around Leicester and Wellingborough and they also got to Derby and Toton - Dave Foster's E Mids galleries include several nice shots. Possibly most notably, they worked into Scotland over the S&C and were used on Waverley crew training trips and also (IIRC) on Glasgow Gourock services, which would probably be the farthest North an 'English' 27 worked. As ever, there has been at least one previous thread on this.

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Sad to relate but I can remember "spotting" the Class 27's from the "Birdcage" above Leicester Midland Shed almost 50 years ago now.

 

I seem to recall there were around 20 (almost a third of the class?) allocated to Leicester from late 1963 onwards numbered from D538? to D5414 mainly from Cricklewood and almost "new".

 

Slightly spooky that they virtually started their working lives in Leicester and a significant number of them must also have ended their lives at Leicester twenty odd years later.

 

Sorry that none of this is contributing towards any northern sightings of the Class but it's good to be reminded of the "old days".

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Scarborough, 18th May 1964 by D5387 on the summer Saturday train from Kings Norton.

 

Source:- BR Class 26/27 Diesels, Michael Oakley, Bradford Barton - booklet published 1981

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The photo links are excellent although it's interesting looking at the photos of 5378/5399 in their green livery with white window surrounds-they look almost black on the front windows.

 

Forgot to pick up on this last night - judging by photos, that was pretty much the standard condition of the LM 27s. Particularly with the lead loco here, you could be forgiven for thinking it had no white at all

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They allocated to Leicester to work the trip workings from Leicester, transfer freights to Toton, Wellingborough, Peterborough and maybe March (I seem to remember one of the Peak books having a pic of a 45 in company with 27s at March), as well as west on the Burton and Nuneaton lines. I've never seen a pic but they could have worked on passenger trains to Birmingham, Norwich and even more likely perhaps, in pairs on MML trains to London or northwards.

 

Being largely spare at weekends, they would have been prime candidates for summer dated trains so Skegness, Cleethorpes, Scarborough, Blackpool, Llandudno, Gt Yarmouth and perhaps Hunstanton could have seen them.

 

How far were you thinking of sending one?

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From an old 1966 Leicester guard's log purchased at The GCR ...a tremendous source of nostalgia and gen!

 

251066 0625 Leicester-Nuneaton 5386 26958/4379/26876

251066 0733 Nuneaton-Leicester ditto

 

tippie on load 3 local turn, modeelers dream

 

Nick R

 

www.leightonlogs.org

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251066 0625 Leicester-Nuneaton 5386 26958/4379/26876

251066 0733 Nuneaton-Leicester ditto

 

tippie on load 3 local turn, modeelers dream

 

 

Bit confused here Nick - if those are coach numbers (SK/TSO/SK), there's no brake...:unsure:

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Certainly made it to Bescot.

One record is of a Burton driver working a pair from Spring vale steel works (Wolverhampton HL-Birmingham N St Stour Valley line) to Burton. Several images exist of "GECs" at Bescot on trains from East Midlands but worked by "Midland men".

 

Saltley crew in the "Carlisle" link signed them (same as stoker fitted 9Fs) and used them on a lot of work - Oxford / Morris Cowley / Gloucester etc.

Nice shot on the Miac site of two tone green 5382 at Worcester on a parcels.

 

http://www.miac.org.uk/class27.htm#brd5382

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I've never seen a pic but they could have worked on passenger trains to Birmingham, Norwich and even more likely perhaps, in pairs on MML trains to London or northwards.

 

I was at school in Nuneaton between 1966-1968 and each afternoon after school we'd go to the Leicester Road bridge to spot the passenger train from east anglia (Norwich I think) to Birmingham. Usually it was a class 31 (or AIA as we called them then) but quite often it was a 27.

 

Graham

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I've posted this before in another thread on the old forum but may as well slot it in here.... an unidentified one at Lilbourne on the Market Harborough - Rugby line, probably with a Leicester crew on board...

 

http://www.flickr.co...157594510352537

 

 

 

Phil - that Worcester shot is a gem, I wonder which way it got there.... down the Lickey or round the top via Stourbridge...?

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I can recall at least three occasions when a BRCW type 2 (as they were then) made it to Oxford on the Washwood Heath-Hinksey Yard afternoon freight. Looking back through my books I can identify them as D5383,D5393 and D5405. I remember intending to photograph D5383 as it stood in the centre road returning light engine but I'm afraid D5858 coming in on a York-Bournemouth relief took precendent as it was my last shot on the film. Anyway back to the topic! I have quite a few images of these locos at Leicester durig the 1969 period when the Thornaby allocation (D5370-78) had been transferred south. The thornaby ones were quite filthy and were noticable with their lack of boiler tanks. The images were on my Brush Veteran gallery originally but inadvertently got wiped off. I will repost them if you wish but am away at present.

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